


Divine Intervention

by Firekitten



Series: Demons and Angels [1]
Category: RWBY
Genre: M/M, Yet another AU being delivered onto you by me
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-02
Updated: 2019-06-06
Packaged: 2020-04-06 18:17:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 18,191
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19068028
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Firekitten/pseuds/Firekitten
Summary: [Afterlife AU] Qrow is a raider demon. His job is clear: Collect recently fallen souls for Hell. The more he could gather, the more power he would be granted. Easy, right?Well, it would be, if not for a certain blond angel constantly getting in his way. Qrow was pretty sure Taiyang’s job wasn’t to keep the souls safe from him, but rather to infuriate him with his overblown righteousness and his insufferable smiles.Eternal damnation wasn’t supposed to be this annoying.





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This short story is just a pet project I was working on for Taiqrowweek - but the ship week kind of fell through. Still, wanted to post it up since I really enjoyed writing it! And how could I ever deny our small pool of taiqrow shippers yet another addition to our pool of fanfics? I'll have all the chapters up over the course of the next few days!

 When someone passed on, a bell tolled to mark the moment.

 _A Dead Ringer,_ the other demons would joke like it was the funniest thing in the underworld.

(It got old faster than a mayfly.)

The moment that familiar jingle hit the air it often became a race to see who would get to the fallen soul first. The angels had the advantage in speed, being able to zip through light beams to transport them across the sky or down to the surface near instantly, while the demons had to follow their dark trails to get to the same point, often losing minutes to catch up. But demons had the advantage on accessibility. There were more points of darkness to pull a soul into Hell than there were holy points – like a synagogue or a shrine – that was necessary to teleport them to Heaven’s gates. So, all a demon needed to be was stronger. But, unlike the angels who were given everything from their speed to their weapons on a silver platter, demons had to earn their strength. The more souls they had, the more strength and prestige they were given.

And thus, the eternal war was fought.

In the big cities, where a death happened every few minutes, it was like watching a million doves descend from the sky while the bats swooped in from the shadows. The two would constantly be in battle, fighting over a single, tiny firefly. It was decreed that only the best and strongest of their brood were stationed at these high traffic points. Smaller towns were put in charge with the less experienced but whom had high potential.

And ghost towns? Those tiny, nearly uninhabited places that got little more than a faded wooden sign no one would see on the road? With deaths so rare and an area so wide, it was nearly impossible to catch the soul in time? Those were given to the failures.

Still, when the bell tolled, Qrow spread his wings and tried.

He was actually in luck for once, as he was fairly close. He’d been roosting nearby, knowing the old man in his woodland shack was getting ready to bite the dust any day now. The sound of another death was a surprise, but also too nearby to ignore. So he flew fast, sinking into any shadow points he could find to hasten his way. It was like walking into a portal. He would dive into one, only to resurface from another miles away.

Even luckier, he emerged from the last jump point so near to the lost soul, he could feel the warmth of the light it was emitting. All he had to do was grab them and drag them in and he would finally have something to tally onto his vacant scoreboard.

He was just a level above them in the loft of a barn that was long overdue for a renovation. Had he been solid, he would have quickly fallen through the rotten wood – but his steps made no noise as he approached the railing and peered down at the main floor.

But the moment he saw the back of that familiar golden hair, Qrow couldn’t help but scoff. Of _**course**_ it had to be him _._

“You know,” He drawled as he lent against the rail, “I’m beginning to think Heaven’s a little short on Guiding Angels these days.”

He heard a tiny gasp, but it was quickly drowned out by the angel’s amused chuckles.

“Hello Qrow.” Taiyang said, looking over his shoulder – and there it was. His smile. Always kind and eternally patient.

Oh, how he **_hated_** that smile.

He hmphed, tilting his head to try and get a glimpse of the soul hidden around those overgrown feather dusters. “So, who do you have for me today?”

Taiyang’s expression only grew more amused. A whimper drew his gaze down. “Don’t worry. He’s a friend.”

Qrow opened his mouth, ready to refute such a blasphemous claim, only for his voice to choke as Tai finally stepped aside.

_Oh._

The boy, with olive skin and freckles all over his face, couldn’t have been more than six. He stared up at Qrow with eyes so wide they nearly took up his entire face, before he clutched onto Tai and tried to hide behind his leg.

His jaw snapped close and he looked away, glaring his ire away at nothing. “You’d… better get him home safely.”

“I will.” Taiyang replied, running a hand over the boy’s hair. “Though, if you’d wish to ensure our safe passage, why don’t you accompany us?”

Qrow shot him such a murderous gaze, he was certain he’d combust on sight.

That infuriating smile never even faltered as he offered in way of explanation, “It is a rather dark night after all.”

He scoffed, turning his back on them.

No way. Not happening. Not in a million lifetimes would he EVER-

* * *

He was tricked.

It was the only conclusion Qrow could come to as he walked along the woodland trail beside the two, scowling up at the hidden moon. Of all the nights for it to be overcast. Stupid dumb clouds preventing the blond featherbrain from zipping across his stupid dumb light beams and making stupid dumb him have to come along instead.

“Thank you for this.”

He angled his head to face the angel. Tai’s sincerity was almost blinding. He scoffed. “Yeah, whatever. How far do we have to go anyways?”

“A few miles. We should be there within an hour.”

An hour? Sure. If they weren’t carting around a little brat that is. Qrow eyes rolled downwards to where Oscar was holding onto the angel’s hand tightly.

Much to his surprise, the brat was looking right back at him. Unlike before in the barn, his expression had morphed from fear into one full of open curiosity that all children seemed to possess.

He arched an eyebrow. “What is it kid?”

Oscar blinked back. “Are you part goat?”

“Wha-!?” Qrow jerked back. “Do I _look_ part goat?”

“Well yeah. You got the-” The boy made a swirling motion by his temple, mimicking the spiraled horns jutting from Qrow’s actual head. “You look just like Mata.” He suddenly gaped at him widely. “Wait! Are you Mata?”

“Kid, are you stupid?”

“Gentle, Qrow.” Tai admonished lightly.

The insult seemed to fly right over Oscar’s head as he tugged insistently at Tai’s hand. “We need to go back! Mama and Papa need Mata. He’s a really good goat!”

“I’m sure he is Oscar.”

Qrow had to fight the urge to tap his foot when Tai stopped walking to kneel down and talk the boy through his inane little crisis. God, he didn’t have time for all this sentimental crap. Couldn’t they just knock the kid out and fly there so he could get back to his eternal damnation already?

Unperturbed by his plight, Tai continued on in that voice so gentle, Qrow was beginning to suspect he didn’t know how to talk loudly. “Mata’s fine. We made sure to check all the animals before we left, remember?”

“But can’t we check again?” Oscar insisted.

Tai shook his head. “We really need to go.”

“But a few more minutes would be okay, right?”

Qrow’s spade-tipped tail lashed behind him as his patience finally snapped. “No, it’s not kid, so quit whining already.”

Well at least it finally wiped that idiotic smile from Tai’s face as he shot him a disapproving gaze. It was gone in a blink as he focused back on Oscar. “What Qrow means is, there’s a lot of bad things out here that might try to hurt you; things we want to protect you from. Because he’s with us, he can hide us. Think of it like a super power of his. But, it’s not one that lasts forever. The more time that passes, the more danger you’ll be in.”

He frowned upon hearing that. He knew the other was talking about The Cloak. An angel and a demon being in the same vicinity would blind others from seeing the neutral soul between them. However, it didn’t expire in strength – or at least, he’d never heard of it doing so. Then again, it wasn’t often a soul was left unchecked on the crossroads plane for more than a few minutes.  Normally he could chalk it up to his own inexperience, but his gut was telling him Tai was lying. The question was, why?

“Can’t he make it last a little longer? Please?” The boy begged. He looked back at him then, repeating, “ _Please??_ ”

What was really going on hit Qrow like a smite of lightning the moment he saw those watering eyes. He looked away, not saying a word.

Luckily Tai filled in for him. Still kind, but firm, “I’m afraid it doesn’t work like that.”

“But…” There it was; a sniffle. “But I don’t want to go… I don’t want to go!”

The angel didn’t pause, sweeping him up into his arms and hugging him tight. “I know, Oscar. I know it hurts. And it’s scary. But you won’t be alone. I promise.”

The boy was crying in earnest now, burying his head into his chest. “I don’t care! I want to go home – I want to go home!”

Qrow sat down on a rock, resigning himself to his fate, listening to this boy – this tiny, innocent child – break down as the reality of it all finally sunk in.

It hurt in a way he’d almost forgotten. The only ease of it all he could find was the knowledge that lost souls were given a chance at a happy afterlife. For forsaken souls, like himself, they were given no chance at all and were just pulled straight to hell.

In that moment, he found himself wishing harder than ever before that alcohol existed in the afterlife.

* * *

It was even darker out when they started down the trail once more. The rain clouds above were now thick and heavy, quietening the forest around them with the threat of the storm, and the mood was equally subdued. Qrow snuck glances at the pair beside him, trying not to give away he was checking up on Oscar. The boy had tired himself out, but his sleep was peaceful as he drooled against Tai’s collarbone. If it or the weight of him was a bother, Tai certainly didn’t let on, seeming to just be doing his best not to jostle the precious bundle whenever he readjusted his grip.

“I’m sorry.”

Qrow started. They’d been quiet so long, he had begun to suspect they’d make the rest of the trip in silence. “What for?” He asked, trying to keep his own voice low.

“I know it’s taking longer than you’d like.” Tai said. “You’ve been exceedingly kind about this all. Offering your protection. Allowing Oscar to grieve.”

“Yeah well-” Qrow started before trailing off, honestly uncertain how to respond with any amount of grace. So, he just didn’t. Instead, he nodded towards the kid. “What did he die from anyways?”

He hiked Oscar a little higher. “Sickness, poor thing. We were just saying goodbye to his horse when you arrived.”

He regarded the boy quietly, the echoes of his cries still reverberating in his head. He wondered how lonely it would be for him now. “We could have given him a few more minutes.”

“No.” Tai replied. “It makes it ten times harder.”

This time, Qrow’s scrutiny was on him. “Speaking from experience?”

“Unfortunately.” He rubbed Oscar’s back idly. “They all think they want that. But it only makes them hurt more. Most times, they’re already in Heaven before it hits. But on days like today…” He shut his eyes, heaving a sigh that rivaled the weight of the world. “These are the hardest.”

He hummed noncommittally. Admittedly, he didn’t know Taiyang all that well. They’d had enough run-ins on the field that he’d become quite the thorn in his side. It was becoming so laughably common, that Qrow’d begun to source him as the main obstacle preventing him from moving up in the ranks, particularly because he was no match for the angel. He still remembered their first encounter. It had ended in five seconds, with Qrow flat on his back and seeing more stars than Hollywood.

He’d wisely avoided further fights after that.

But beyond his name and that he was infuriatingly chipper all the time, there wasn’t much else he could glean about the other. When he was alive, Qrow used to pride himself on being the one who knew everything about everyone – but after four years of being dead, he must be losing his touch.  Perhaps that was why he decided to ask, “How long have you been doing this?”

Tai seemed as equally caught off guard by the question. “Huh. It’s been awhile since I counted.” He pursed his lips, doing some quiet calculations. “I think it’s been fifty… three? Yeah. Fifty-three years.”

“What?!” Qrow almost tripped over his own feet. “You gotta be kidding me. Aren’t guiding angels supposed to retire after twenty?” No wonder he’d never had a chance against him! He’d just assumed he was outmatched because Taiyang was close to his quota, but this was ridiculous.

“We’re allowed to, but we don’t have to.”

His eyebrows drew together, suspicion mounting. “But if it’s so terrible, then why don’t you? Unless,” He strode ahead, swiveling around so he could walk backwards and look him right in the eyes as he asked, “You trying to atone for something lemon drop?”

“Lemon drop? That’s a new one.”

“Don’t avoid the question.”

“So impatient.” Tai teased. As he looked down towards Oscar, his face smoothed to something much softer. “You misunderstand. Yes, it’s hard when they hurt. But the reward of getting them home greatly outweighs my sentimentality. Though, I will admit, I only do this occasionally.”

Qrow grumbled under his breath, “Not occasionally enough.”

By the grin Taiyang wore, he guessed it didn’t go unheard. “What about you? Raiders have to get a thousand souls, right? How far have you gotten?”

“Tch, me?” He gestured to himself grandly. “I’ve got plenty! So many that you wouldn’t believe.”

“Not even one, huh?”

Qrow turned his back to him, sneering at the ground. “Shut up.”

There was a gentle flapping and then Taiyang was touching down next to him. “It’s not a bad thing.”

“What do you know?” He took a step away.

Thankfully, he didn’t come closer. “Admittedly nothing. Just trying to cheer you up.”

Of course, he was. “Well don’t. Everything’s fine. You’ll see. One day, my name’ll be so feared, Heaven itself will shake if someone says it.”

“I feel bad for bird watchers then.”

Qrow glowered. “You’ll be sorry for saying shit like that when I’m an overlord of the underworld.” He stood up a little taller, straightening his jacket. “Lucky for you, I’m also a very gracious ruler. So, if you apologize now I might go easy on your punishment later.”

Tai snorted. “I’ll take my chances. Thanks anyways.”

“Suit yourself.” He shrugged. “It’s your second funeral.”

“Indeed.” He replied, scanning the area. Not that there was much to see beyond trees and more trees. “Hey Qrow?”

“What?”

“How did you die?”

He almost tripped again. “Wow buddy. First date and you’re already getting personal.”

Tai feigned innocence. “Just making conversation.”

Qrow narrowed his eyes skeptically – but what could he really do with the information anyways? “I was on Death Row. Happened to still be in a place that used the electric chair. Not much to write home about; I was gone in a second.”

“Must have been shocking.”

“Yeah it- Hey!” Tai could barely contain his laughter. Qrow punched his arm, still being mindful of Oscar. “Alright wise guy, you wanna play it that way? How’d you bite it?”

Taiyang shifted his grip so he could lift his hand, placing his index and middle finger against his temple and jerked his hand up in a telltale gesture, winking as he did. “With a bang.”

He rolled his eyes. He couldn’t decide what was more annoying; his smile or his jokes. “Surprised they even had any guns back in your times, ya geezer.” He gave him a look over, studying his leather-fringed vest and square-toed boots. “Actually, nevermind. Can’t say that about a guy who looks like he walked right out of the Old West. What happened cowboy? Not quick enough on the draw?”

“First of all, I was a rancher. Second of all, no one shot me.”

“How could no one of shot you if you were killed by a-” Qrow felt like he’d been struck by lightning twice as he finally understood and he trailed off. He stared wide-eyed at Tai, barely able to believe someone that seemed to be sunshine incarnate could have ever... He rubbed a hand through his hair, turning away. “Oh. Uh, I… Sorry.”

“Only one who’s sorry is me.” He said. “But it’s in the past now. All I can do is forgive myself and move forward.”

He hunched his shoulders some. “That simple, huh?”

“Never said that.” Tai smiled his way. “But maybe you’ll understand one day.”

Qrow huffed, shoving his hands in his pockets as if he could hide the blood on them.

He was long past a place to be forgiven.

* * *

The church, if it could be called that, was in a state of total disrepair. Most of the paint was peeled off, with only a few flecks here and there implying it was once a pristine, shiny white. There were holes in the rooftop, with the cross at the peak having fallen sideways. Birds were living up in the rafters or hopping between the cracks of broken windows. Overgrown weeds drooped over the concrete walkway like claws trying one last chance to snatch people from salvation before they could get to the front doors.

Oscar rubbed the sleep from his eyes, took one look at it and said, “This is it?”

“I’ll admit, it’s not the prettiest, but it’ll get us home just fine.” Tai reassured.

As the two stepped over the property line, Qrow finally felt some tension unwind from his shoulders. Finally, his job was done. “Well, you two have fun jumping on clouds and playing on harps – or whatever it is you cherubs do.”

“You’re not coming with us?” Oscar asked.

He shrugged. “Nah, it’s not really my scene.”

“Huh?”

Tai placed a hand on the kid’s head. “What he means is, he has other things he’s got to do. But, he did help us get all the way here safely, so you should thank him.”

Oscar nodded, waving his way. “Thank you, Mr. Goat Man!”

Qrow had to suppress a grin. Alright, so maybe he was a little cute. “Anytime pipsqueak.”

“Yes, thank you.” Tai echoed the sentiment.

“No, no!” The kid tugged his pant leg. “That’s not how adults thank each other!”

“Oh?” The angel peered down at him. “How do they thank each other then?” Oscar gestured for him to kneel. Once he had, he cupped his hands around his mouth and whispered something in his ear. Qrow couldn’t hear it, but he did see the way Tai’s eyebrows pinched together before rising up in surprise. “Oh.” He pulled away and nodded. “You’re right, that is the right way.”

He climbed to his feet, crossing back over the line.

Qrow shifted back as he approached. “What, you gonna give me a hug or something?”

“You’re close.” Tai told him as he placed his hand on his shoulder.

The way his fingertips skimmed along the inside of one of his bat-like wings sent shivers down his spine. He looked towards the offending limb – and that must have been what Tai was hoping for as he dove forward suddenly and kissed his cheek.

Qrow jerked back, nearly slapping himself as he covered the spot.

“I could get used to thanking you like this.” Tai said, his smile almost too warm.

“You-you!” He spluttered uselessly. His response didn’t matter, because the other was already heading back over the barrier, separating them once more.

“See you again soon, Qrow.” The angel said in parting, before turning to the boy, holding out his hand. “Ready to go?”

“Uh-huh.” Oscar clasped his hand, following his lead.

He watched them ascend the steps and approach the front door. As Tai touched it, a radiant glow began to emit from the edges. Heaven seemed to spill right out of the threshold as he pulled the door open, the two quickly becoming absorbed in the light. Even with their departure, the light did not dim away immediately and was so comforting, so inviting, Qrow could not help but take a step forward.

“ _Qrow._ ”

He started at the voice, looking around in confusion. Where had it come from? It sounded like-

“ _Come home, Qrow._ ” There it was again. It was coming… from the light!

“Ra-” He started to say, but froze, backing away. No. He wouldn’t be tricked.

“ _Come home._ ” The light pulsed.

“No!” What had once been warm had turned scorching. Sweat beaded down his brow as he recoiled further. He took to the sky, until he was high above the building. As the glow started to fade, he yelled at it, “It’s not enough! One good deed… it’s not enough for forgiveness!” He shut his burning eyes, shouting to the heavens, “Nothing is!”

Thunder clashed with his screams and the rain began to fall.

Underneath all the calamity, another bell tolled and he knew it was the old man he’d been so patiently waiting for finally passing on.

He twisted around, bolting across the sky.

He didn’t stop until he was as far away from the sound as he could possibly get.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mayfly - Mayflies are an insect that have incredibly short lifespans (some species as short as five minutes)


	2. Chapter 2

There were a few places in his appointed domain that Qrow staked out. Hecate’s Lake was one such place. Though not well traveled, the little bowl-shaped lake never failed to take at least one life every year, so he made sure to frequent it often, especially during the warmer months. That day, he was going more out of habit than to find a potential lost soul – so he was surprised when he discovered he wasn’t alone.

Unfortunately, his guest was already quite dead.

“I thought angel wings were supposed to be white?” Though he did his best to sneer, his words lacked any of his usual abrasiveness.

Tai seemed unaffected either way, smile affixed into place. “We meet again it seems. And no,” He ruffled his wings, the sandy-yellow shade really standing out under the bright sunlight. “I thought you’d of realized by now? They match the person’s hair color. You’d look like quite the _Qrow_ if you had some.”

“Hah.” Qrow mock-laughed. “And considering the only angel that apparently visits my realm is you, no, I hadn’t noticed.”

His chuckles were much more genuine. “You’re so dramatic.”

“Whatever.” He said, tail slashing at the ground. “What are you doing here? No one’s around to die.”

“Sometimes I just come down to visit. Enjoy the sights.” He gestured at the basin around them.

Seriously? “Wow, didn’t know Heaven was lacking so much in the aesthetic department that some grungy green water is more appealing.”

“Hey now!” Tai actually sounded a little offended. “No need to be rude. I have some fond memories of this lake.”

“Wait, hold up,” Qrow held up a hand. “You _lived_ around here?” When the other gave an affirmative nod, he asked, “Why? There’s nothing here!”

“You’re a real city slicker, aren’t ya?” When that playful jab didn’t earn a response, the angel shrugged, looking across the lake. “The world’s changed a lot since I was around. This lake? All those broken-down towns and forgotten trails no one travels? These are places I remember in their heyday. Could even probably tell you the names of most of the people who ran the shops or went to church. It looks like a bunch of nothing to you, but for me this was home.”

Home, huh? He wondered what it was like, to be fond enough of a place to call it that.

Qrow crossed his arms, hunching in his wings. “Well that all sounds very nice. And since there’s nothing here for me, I guess I’ll leave you to your prance down memory lane.”

He started to head for his portal, hearing Tai’s faint, “If that’s what you’d like.” And had to fight down the urge to scoff. As if he’d prefer anything else.

As he bent his knees, preparing to dive into the black puddle, he couldn’t help but ask the question that had been lingering in the back of his mind since they’d started talking. “Hey uh. How’s the kid doing?”

The response he got wasn’t what he was expecting. “Would you like to see him?”

Qrow stood up stiffly, glaring. “Is that supposed to be a joke?”

“No, I can show you. Right here.” Tai said, gesturing to the water.

His eyes darted between him and the lake, not bothering to hide his mistrust even as he dared to come closer. The angel only grinned, sitting down at the shore’s edge, patting the ground next to him. After a few hesitant moments, he took the offer, folding his legs underneath him. He peered down at the cloudy water, not sure what he was waiting for. “So what, is it a magic mirror or something?”

“Or something.” Tai parroted, unfolding his wings just slightly. He reached back, wincing as he plucked off a feather from one. He held it up high by the quill end, rolling it between his fingers. It took Qrow a moment to realize it was changing with every turn, the pale hues turning to a brilliant golden, as if the feather was sucking in the sunlight itself. Once it was bright enough that it appeared as if Tai was holding a star right in his hands, he let it go. It drifted on the wind, lopping lazily to and fro, as it slowly fell to the lakeside until it quietly touched down.

The resulting ripple burst upwards like an explosion as fire seared across the water. Qrow jerked back, cursing loudly, but an arm around his shoulders prevented him for going too far.

“It’s alright. Just look.” Tai whispered ardently in his ear. The flames dancing above the water reflected in his eyes, memorizing in how they appeared like sapphires speckled with gold.

Shivers wracked down his spine and Qrow squirmed from his grasp but didn’t withdraw further. Apprehension beat at his chest for believing in such a fool but curiosity spurred his action. Gingerly, he lent forward, peering within the ringlet of fire that emitted a warmth as soothing as a fireplace. Within its center, as clear as if from a television, he could see Oscar.

He was in a playroom of some sort. There were colorful posters on the equally colorful walls, with a few large windows with butterflies and bees stuck to the glass. Toy chests and small shelves full of books were pushed against the walls, with the center of the room mostly free space with only a few beanbags spread about and a table surrounded by small chairs for sitting. A few kids were sitting around at that table, but Oscar was on the other side of the room, draped over an orange beanbag as he listened to a young blond woman that was reading to him. It must have been quite the story, since his eyes were wide and attentive on her.

“He’s a pretty shy kid so he doesn’t like to play with the others much, but he really loves fantasy stories.” Taiyang told him. “Yang’s been reading to him every day since we took him in.”

He had a likely guess just based off of her looks, but asked anyways, “Your daughter?”

“Yeah. She and her wife come by when they can to help out.”

Qrow hummed noncommittedly, gaze drifting towards the table where the other occupants were. There were four – a young, white-haired girl in a dress rivaling a Disney princess. She seemed to be dictating to another pink and brown-haired girl how to properly hold her teacup, who seemed to be having trouble mostly because she wouldn’t put down the parasol she had resting against her shoulder. The third was a ginger haired boy whose bowler hat and fake cigar seemed more suited for a poker match. The last was another older woman – Yang’s wife he’d assume – who seemed to of gotten stuck with the role of ‘pet’ in this game, as she was sporting a pair of cat ears and had a bowl overflowing with goldfish crackers in front of her.

Tai noticed his stare and started to point them out in turn, “Weiss, Neo, Roman and Blake. Looks like they’re playing tea party. Everyone else is probably outside on the playground.”

Everyone else? Just how many brats was he looking after? “You running a daycare or something?”

“It’s more of a very large foster home. A lot of kids who die young either don’t know or don’t trust their extended family enough to live with them. It makes Heaven really scary for them.” Tai tapped the water, the picture rippling away and reforming into a playground where at least another half-dozen kids were playing tag. “But something about being around a lot of other kids in their same situation makes them feel more comfortable. That’s why we have these facilities.”

Qrow snorted in amusement as a ginger-haired girl full-force tackled a blond boy. That kid was going to be tasting grass for a week. “How noble of you. So, where’s Mrs. Xiao Long?”

Another tap and this time they were in the kitchen. A very determined young boy with a streak of pink in his hair was rolling out cookie dough. Beside him, an older woman with soft silver eyes was cutting out shapes from the sheet and placing them on a shallow pan.

He whistled lowly. “What a beauty. She’s way too good for you.”

“Believe me, I know.” Tai chortled softly. “Probably why these days she goes by Miss Rose.”

The insult was already leaving his tongue before his brain caught up. “Well at least she wised up and – wait.” When it finally did, he glowered at him, certain he was pulling one under on him. “That doesn’t make sense. You couldn’t get divorced in the dark ages.”

“Okay, first of all, I’m from the 1860s.”

“Oh my god, you really are a cowboy.”

“SECOND of all,” Taiyang doggedly continued, too stubborn not to finish schooling him, “You’re right. But the vows have a very specific condition.” He looked back at the pool, watching his ex-wife help the little boy place the cookies in the oven. “‘Till death do us part. And oh, did it part us.” He waved a hand across the water, snuffing out the fire before settling back with a melancholy sigh.

Qrow shifted uncomfortably. He knew he wasn’t really skilled at handling tough, emotional conversations like this – but he was good at diverting attention from them. “Well hey, look at the bright side. Now you got all the time in the world to wrangle up a pretty little saloon girl.”

“Do I even have to wonder if you’re insinuating something?” He stifled a laugh when Qrow just wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. 

Good. He’d take his dumb smile over that miserable look any day.

“You’re so crass.” Tai decided.

“If you ask me, it’s one of my better qualities.” He assured.

He quirked one eyebrow. “If you trust me even a little bit, you’ll believe me when I tell you that’s not true.”

“It’s a good thing I don’t then. You’re a terrible judge of character.”

“How do you figure?”

He pointed to himself. “Hanging out with me, for starters.”

“As I recall, it was your decision to stick around.” Tai reminded, looking just a little too smug.

Damn him. “Yeah well, you… you bribed me!” Qrow said, running a hand over his neck as he averted his gaze back to the lake and the vision that had once been there to entice him in the first place.

As he stared down at it though, he couldn’t help but wonder…

“Hey. I need to ask you something.”

As if sensing the sudden seriousness, Tai sat up straight. “What is it?”

“Can this thing…” Qrow paused, his self-inflicted inhibitions of how he wasn’t worthy enough to even _ask_ for such a thing clawing their way up his throat, trying to choke him. He got the rest out in a rush, “Can you show me anyone?”

He held his breath, waiting every painstaking second for the answer.

The angel studied him, his expression unreadable, before he finally looked away. “’Fraid not. I’m only able to show you people I know.”

“Oh. Well yeah, that makes sense.” He laughed it off as if it was no big deal. He crossed his arms, turning away so he didn’t have to see the other’s piteous look when he no doubt would see right through that ruse. He shut his eyes, fingernails digging grooves into his arms as if it physical pain could outweigh the sudden one in his chest. Stupid. Stupid! Of course, it’d be like that. Why did he let himself get his hopes up like that?

He was certain the hand that landed on his shoulder was meant to comfort him, and he reached out to push it off, when Tai spoke, “Why don’t you try?”

Qrow looked back, having to blink away kaleidoscopic spots the glowing feather spiraled across his vision. Heart pounding, he reached for it, but Tai caught his wrist. He jerked his head towards him, about to snap, but hesitated as he took in the other’s worried expression. His fingers curled up, subconsciously withdrawing from the light, and he asked softly, “Is it going to hurt me?”

“I… don’t know.” He replied. “Are you willing to take the risk if it does?”

Was he? Light burns were on a level all their own. It was an injury that charred the skin black and never healed. A searing pain that never stopped and no amount of water could relieve. Did he really want to live with that for all eternity?

 _But what if this is your only chance?_ The whisper coaxed from the back of his mind.

“Yes.” Qrow resolved, reaching out over their hands with his left now – ah, all those years working to be ambidextrous for nothing – and grabbed the feather. He flinched back immediately, setting his jaw tightly as he waited for the agony to start.

…Nothing.

He looked at his hand, just to be sure, but it was just as pale white as always. A wiggle of his fingers confirmed everything was still functional too. He nodded and this time when he took the feather, he held it firmly. He looked to the angel who was gaping at him wide enough to catch the whole insect kingdom. “Okay. Stop looking so impressed and tell me what to do next – preferably before this thing rethinks its generosity.”

“Uh, oh right!” Tai’s closed his mouth. “Just think of the name of the person you want to see and drop the feather over the water. It’ll do the rest.”

Simple enough. He held it up, the name coming as easily as breathing to him because it had been the first thing on his mind every day for twenty-nine years, and let go. He watched it fall, whole body tilting forward anxiously as he waited for it to finally touch the water. He heard the other man shifting closer as well but didn’t dare look away, not wanting to miss it when it _finally_ –

The surge of fire roaring forth had him squinting against the sudden brightness and heat. He distantly noted that unlike Taiyang’s, which had been pure and bright orange, his fire had a veil of black flickering across the top. Such a minor thing wasn’t nearly as important as the picture that formed in its center.

She looked almost the same as the last day he’d ever seen her – a little older, maybe. He’d heard rumors those in Heaven could choose their age. Still her black hair was as wild as ever and it seemed she still loved wearing black and red, though her clothes were much fancier than they could have ever hoped to afford during their lifetime. She was with someone he didn’t know at all; a woman with short, brunette hair and tattoos running down one arm. He figured it didn’t matter, whatever she was saying was making his sister laugh.

She looked… so happy.

The picture suddenly started to blur and Qrow reached for it, thinking his tainted fire was the problem – but wet droplets hitting his arm told him the fire was fine.

Beside him, Taiyang said nothing. But a golden wing draped around him, a silent comfort as he cried.

* * *

He wasn’t sure how long it took for the fire to burn out. It could have been minutes, it could have been days, and it still would never be enough. His hand fell through the water as it dissipated, as if he hoped to catch it. Another beat, and he was lurching towards Tai, about to demand another feather.

It seemed this was something easily predicted, because Tai placed a hand over his mouth before he could utter his demand. “Another day, perhaps. This takes up a lot of my energy.”

The side of him that wasn’t quite as noble didn’t care, and ran through about a half dozen scenarios on how he might be able to either convince or force the other to do as he wished. It was a very loud voice. The smaller, weaker side of him took notice of the other’s unusually pale complexion and reasoned that patience would earn him far more reward than violence. It may have been the quieter of the two, but he still obediently backed down.

Tai relaxed too, resting back on his hands and letting his wings drag along the dirt. He tipped his head, looking towards the clouds drifting by above them. “So, who was she?”

Qrow knew that question was coming. “My sister.”

“Older? Younger?”

“She’s my twin.”

“You two must have been close. What’s her name?”

His eyes narrowed. “No jokes.”

Tai placed an affronted hand on his chest as if to say ‘When do I ever joke?’.

Qrow sighed and finally grit out, “Raven.”

Tai stared. Bit his lip. _Whimpered_ , “One joke?”

“No!!” He snapped.

“Ugggh! Fiiine!” He whined like a toddler being told to clean his room. “Take all the fun out of it why don’tcha.”

Offhandedly, he noticed that the other’s western accent was more prominent when he minced words like that. It was a shame he didn’t do it more often.

He beat down that ridiculous thought as far down as it would go.

“You know,” Tai said, inclining his head towards him. “You could have searched around, looked for other people besides her.”

Okay, that was his cue to leave before the other really started to pry. “Just didn’t want to risk it.” He lied, getting to his feet, stretching his arms and wings. “Anyways, this has been fun and all, but I better be hitting the road. Oh, sorry, I guess for you it’s ‘hit the trail’?” He rubbed his chin, reconsidering, “Nah, that ain’t right. Skedaddle? Vamoose? Get along lil’ doggy?”

The angel held up a hand before he could continue. “Just go.”

That was all the permission he needed, tipping his non-existent hat at him. “You got it, partner.” He took a few steps away, then paused when the perfect payback for the other night occurred to him. “Oh wait. Forgot something.”

Tai watched him curiously as he came back around and leant down. His lips parted, certainly about to ask.

Qrow didn’t let him, stealing his voice by kissing him right on the corner of his mouth. He backed away, taking great pleasure in the other’s shell-shocked gaze as he reached up to touch the spot. If Tai wanted to play games he’d just have to get used to the fact Qrow was better at them.

“Now we’re even.” He declared as he headed for his portal.

Just as he was about to jump, Taiyang seemed to get enough of his bearings to call, “Y’all come back now, ya hear?”

By the time he popped out the other side, Qrow was still laughing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hecate - A goddess of ancient Greek Mythology. One thing she was often associated with were boundaries or crossroads, particularly with realms beyond the world of the living.


	3. Chapter 3

When someone passed on, a bell tolled to mark the moment.

When a silver soul passed, the bell never stopped tolling.

It was said these souls were made from God’s tears and that each one was meant for a great purpose, but at the cost of great pain. During the ‘biblical’ times, there were many of these souls running around parting seas and foretelling dreams, but they had since faded to a fewer and fewer number as time went on.

Still to hear it here, _now_ , his body ruled ahead of his mind and Qrow flew faster than ever before.

It was far, almost at the edge of his region, but he paid no heed to that. Only to the sound – for as long as it kept ringing, he knew there was still a chance. He could still-!

 _Is that really what I want?_ The thought finally got through.

What an inane thing to think. Of course he did! To fulfill his purpose was the only way to make his existence less miserable.

_What will Tai think?_

Qrow leapt out of one shadow, shaking his head violently to try and clear it. What did it matter what that featherbrain thought? He was so good, he could never really understand his plight.

_He’ll be so disappointed._

Yeah well… he wouldn’t be the first.

There were no further arguments, and he crossed the rest of the distance in insufferable silence.

When he finally arrived, even before he left the portal, he could feel other demonic auras seeping down from above. It felt like tar, weighing him down with the combined crushing strength alone. He swum against it, certain his wings would rip right from his back from the effort alone. On a one on one, he had no chance against the combatants already there – his only hope was to be craftier.

He finally managed to breach the surface, though he didn’t emerge further than to his eyes, taking stock of the situation with a sweep of his gaze.

It was lucky his mouth was still under, because the groan he gave at the sight of Taiyang would have given him away instantly.

There were two others. The first was the silver soul and he almost did a double take at the sight of her. The likeness she had to Tai’s ex-wife was absurd. From hair and eye color, to even the face-shape, there was no denying that she had to be a descendant. She was also no older than Oscar had been or, perhaps, was just small for her age.

The other was the cause of the drowning sensation in the shadows. A lieutenant of the Lord’s court, Tyrian. He looked more demonic than most others, with much larger, curling horns, wide, powerful wings, and a thick tail with a stinger on the tip. Qrow had heard many stories of the lunatic; he had a soul count of a few thousand and it was said he took immense joy in torturing others, no matter their age or affiliation. He was one of the first he had ever been told to avoid at all costs. His presence here was both a blessing and a curse, as that meant no one else would risk approaching.

But it also meant escape was almost impossible.

“You’re not taking her!” Taiyang snarled, voice unusually furious as his wings spread wide to provide a better guard for the girl behind him.

Open like they were, it was hard not to notice the vertical scars that ran down the length of them, as if something had once nearly cleaved them off. Qrow had seen them a few times before, but only now was he worrying how he must have obtained them. He ducked a little more into his dark pool. _Don’t be reckless Tai._

“I can respect a man who sticks to his resolve, but you know that I just can’t do that.” Tyrian’s voice had a hint of mania in every word he spoke. His grin was equally wicked, eyes alight with insanity. “If you wish to struggle, though, then I’ll be sure to give the girl a show by plucking off every single one of your feathers.”

Tai reached up to pluck off two of his feathers, collecting light as he spun one in either hand. Qrow had only seem him do that motion once before, during their very first encounter, and knew he was preparing to summon his weapon. The memory of the bruises Taiyang had left when he’d jabbed that bō staff right into his stomach were still fresh in his mind.

The angel’s eyes stayed trained on the danger even as he spoke to the girl. “Sweetheart, just stay behind me. I promise I’ll get you home.”

She sniffled, clutching onto her oversized red hoodie. “O-Okay.”

“That’s quite a promise, friend.” Tyrian’s eyes glowed as he rose his hand, placing his thumb against his middle and index fingers.

Qrow knew what it meant and screamed soundlessly in warning.

“I hope you can keep it!” He finished, the snap of his fingers as loud as thunder.

Within a heartbeat, two pools of black formed on either side of him. Springing from them were two Hellhounds, guardians of Hell’s gates. They were despicable creatures with rotting, pockmarked skin and three heads that were similar to a Doberman’s but large enough to rival a horse’s.

And both were charging right for Taiyang and his ward.

Just as quick, Tai slammed his glowing feathers together, before pulling them apart. The light followed, expanding into something solid. Barely waiting for the staff to finish forming, he swung it around into the head of one dog with enough force to send it skidding. It gave the other hound the opportunity to skirt by, jaws dripping as it pounced for the girl who could only duck down and scream.

Taiyang pivoted, swinging his leg up and delivering a brutal roundhouse kick to the dog’s middle. It yelped, rocketing right past where Qrow was hiding.

And he didn’t go unnoticed. Tai froze, eyes widening.

His momentary hesitance was a fatal mistake. Tyrian was on him in an instant. He grabbed the angel in a chokehold, beating his bat wings to torpedo them both through the air, their legs knocking the girl over when they passed above her. They didn’t stop until Tai’s body collided with a tree. Tyrian held him by his neck several inches up off the ground, a sadistic grin spreading as his opponent spasmed in his grasp. The angel clawed at his hand as he desperately tried to get air.

Qrow’s chest compressed so tightly he almost couldn’t breathe either. No. No, no, **_no!_** He had to do something!

Tyrian licked his lips. “Have fun with your snack, boys. I’ve got my own.”

Qrow looked from one situation to the other, seeing the defenseless child still curled on the ground, crying frightfully as the dogs ran full force for her.

He had but a split-second to decide – and as he yanked himself from the pool, he quietly prayed Taiyang would forgive him.

He propelled himself forward, wind rushing in his ears as he curved his wings inward for more speed. It was just enough that he was able to scoop up the little girl just moments before one of those animals got their teeth into her. His presence was confusing enough to the dogs that they paused in a follow-up attack. One that would have undoubtably taken him down. Instead, it gave him the window he needed to get away.

He shot upwards, high into the sky.

“What?!” Tyrian cried. “You wretch, bring back m- oof!”

His distraction afforded Tai a slight advantage, and he used it to the full effect as he brought up his legs and gave the lieutenant a solid double kick to the gut that sent the demon flying back. He followed after the sailing body, snatching up his fallen bō staff. When Tyrian impacted the ground, Tai pinned him down by stepping down onto his wings. As he jabbed his weapon into the demon’s throat, his gaze briefly wavered towards Qrow, giving him a nod that said everything.

_I can’t hold him off for long._

_Take care of her._

_I trust you._

Before he could be given a chance to rethink it, Qrow nodded back as he cradled the girl close and took off. He beat his wings hard, focusing on his speed. This was his realm, so he knew the nearest church was a few miles away; and though his portals would get him there in three hops, he couldn’t take the girl through them. It made his haste all the more pressing.

“Are you gonna take me somewhere bad too mister?” The girl blubbered.

He looked down at her, her face blotchy with tears and terror. He held her tighter, saying firmly, “No. I’m a friend of Tai’s. I’m gonna get you home.” She nodded, but her weeping barely seemed to slow. Qrow didn’t know a lot about kids, but he figured if he could keep her talking it might calm her down. “What’s your name kid?”

“R-Ruby.”

“Ruby, huh? That’s a really pretty name. Certainly, better than mine.” He did his best to imitate the saccharine tone he always heard Tai use when under these circumstances.

She snuffled, her words jumbling together. “Waz yours?”

“Qrow. See you got named after a gemstone but I got named after a big, dumb bird.” That made her crack the tiniest of smiles. “How old are you Ruby?”

She rubbed a hand under her nose. “Eight.”

“Ah, so you’re practically a big kid! I guess that means you have lots of responsibilities.” Gods above, he was bad at this.

“What’s a responsibilities?”

“Uh it’s a – You know, like a chore? Washing the dishes, folding laundry, that kind of thing.” He explained, ascending to a strong air currant and soaring across it. He was trying to keep his eyes everywhere. He really hoped Tai could keep Tyrian busy long enough.

The wind had pushed the hoodie up over Ruby’s head. “Oh, I had one of those! I had to take care of Zwei.”

“Who’s Zwei?”

“My dog. He’s a lot nicer than those big meanies that tried to bite me.”

Clinging to the safe topic like a lifeline, he kept asking questions. “Oh, and what kind of dog is he?”

By the time he was approaching the sweet salvation of town, he probably knew more about Ruby’s dog then he knew about his own sister, right down to his birthday and the correct place to scratch him to get his leg to kick. He focused on the pointed rooftop that stood out like a beacon to guide him, dipping lower the closer they got. Unlike the one Oscar had gone through, this church was still holding up fairly well, nothing quite falling to pieces yet even if it had signs of weathering. There was no gate around this one, so the border was a little harder to make out, but as he drew near, he noticed how the surrounding grass faded away into nothing but dirt. That was it! That was the boundary.

All he had to do now was just get her to go inside and then he could go find Tai.

“Alright, we’re here.” Qrow announced. “All you got to do now is walk yourself through the door and the light will do the rest.”

“You’re not coming too?” She asked as they landed.

He looked down at her. If it were not for the fact it was physically impossible for him, he was pretty sure those big, round eyes looking up at him could convince him to do anything. As it was, he could only say, “Sorry kiddo, I’m not allowed past the border.”

“Can’t you try?” She said, clutching onto his shirt tightly when he tried to set her down.

He shook his head, trying not to let his impatience show. He didn’t have time for this! “I really can’t. But you’re a big kid, remember? You got this.”

Her lower lip trembled. “But I don’t wanna go alone.”

_God damn it, you sniveling-!_

Qrow took a steadying breath to keep his normally volatile temper in check. It wouldn’t help either of them and certainly would make her more resistant. No matter what it promised to be, that step into the unknown was hard for anyone. And for a kid who barely understood what was going on, this had to seem twice as scary. That was why the Guiding Angels existed. Sometimes they just needed someone to hold their hand – and it frustrated him, he couldn’t do that for her.

All he could do was stand here and watch; he had to hope that would be enough. “Look, Ruby-”

“Dear child, I’ll make sure you’re not alone.”

It was as if a thousand spiders crawled up his spine all at once. What had happened to-?

He heard the crunch of footsteps behind him and shouted, “Don’t move! One more step and I throw her in!”

“Hoo, what’s this? Are you actually challenging me wretch?” Tyrian’s tail smacked at the ground. The aura of pure malice he exuded was almost tangible, weighing on him just like it had in the portal.

Qrow couldn’t dare turn around, as that would leave Ruby unguarded, but to have his back to such a powerful foe was extremely unsettling. It was difficult to keep his voice steady. “I have the advantage here.”

“And yet, you tremble like a lamb.”

He scowled. “Anyone would shudder in disgust in your presence.”

“Yeah! You’re a butt-ugly bug man!” Ruby chanted with him.

“That’s the spirit kiddo.” Qrow said, moving his hand slowly so he could unwind her little fists from his shirt. He strained his senses, trying to detect even a hint of movement that would imply he was in danger.

“What a rude sort you are.” He rambled on, “Alas, you’re right. I’m truly at a checkmate here. I can’t even attack, elsewise you may just fall past with her – and she’ll be lost to me forever.”

He let him keep talking, adjusting his grip on Ruby inch by inch. She’d get a few scrapes, but seeing as the alternative was so much worse, he didn’t worry too much of it. He tensed, preparing to toss her in.

“However,” Tyrian’s voice seeped into him like poison, “Did you consider what will happen to you when you do?”

Qrow froze.

He must have seen it, as he suddenly began to laugh wildly. “I mean, you didn’t _really_ think there’d be no consequences, did you? This is treason of the highest offense! Our Lord will certainly see to it you’re thrown to the deepest pits and tortured for a thousand lifetimes.”

His heart raced, the rhythm painfully beating at his ribcage and his body shook in terror, as if it remembered something he could not.

Why? Why did that sound so familiar? He had never been to Rings of Hell before. He’d only heard of their reputation. How each of the layers’ methods of torture only grew worse as the number did. They were chosen based on the crime committed against their Lord. For something like this, he’d certainly be tossed into the ninth and final layer, Treachery.

He shuddered, nightmarish images consuming him as he saw his skin being peeled down to bone and his organs being soaked in boiling acid.

“But,” Tyrian’s venomous tone was back, enticing him in the worst of ways, “If you give her to me, then all is forgiven. I’ll even welcome you to my ranks for it.”

He… he couldn’t move.

This was what he wanted right? Here it all was – status, power, infamy – all being offered to him on a silver platter.

All he had to do was sacrifice one little girl.

His grip loosened.

Who would miss her anyways?

“No way! Mr. Qrow would never do that!” Despite her size, Ruby’s voice was loud. Those bright, honest eyes looked up at him, and she said as if there was no truer truth, “Because Mr. Qrow is a good guy!”

Qrow could not explain, exactly, what her words did but it felt as if a spell was shattering around him and he was fully coming awake; not just in this moment, but for the first time in _years_.

Memories he never realized he’d forgotten flooded in all at once, so fast he could almost not keep up but so clear it was as if he was wasn’t just remembering it, but experiencing it.

He was there in his final moments right before his death, praying one last time with the Reverend for forgiveness, before he stood to take his final walk.

Now, he was waking up to the smiling face from an all-too familiar blond, a helpful hand being offered. (He was a lost soul! He’d never been forsaken at all!) He recalled how Tai’s kind demeanor was tempered with a sense of urgency as he guided him, his eyes darting everywhere as if expecting the shadows to jump at them.

How they _did_ jump at them.

Qrow’s current rage mixed with the terror he’d felt at the time as he saw what happened next:

Demons surrounding them.

Tai ordering him to run for the chapel.

The angel’s following cries that made him look back.

The sickening jolt in his stomach at the sight of him pinned to the concrete, beautiful wings speared through like the beginning of a taxidermist’s newest project.

How he turned back around, ignoring Tai’s pleas for him to keep going.

The jarring impact of a demon tackling him down.

His own screams for help as he was dragged towards the shadows.

His final sight before being pulled under was of Tai getting out of the spears’ restraints by leaping towards him, the desperate attempt ripping great tears down his wings.

Sadly, he might have made it, if only he had still been able to fly.

The rest of it passed in a blur: the months he would spend in the dungeons of Hell’s fifth ring of Violence. The trials that chipped away at his psyche until the things that mattered were gone.

Until he was told by others what he wanted and what he was meant to strive for.

Until the mantra he kept repeating to not listen became buried.

Until all he felt he had left was the worst of himself.

Until…

Until he was broken enough to lie his way out of his cell but not enough to be completely insane.

When he finally ran into Tai again, he didn’t recognize him.

Tai still smiled at him, even as he knocked him to the ground.

It was only now that Qrow could understand how that near permanent smile was hiding the sadness in Tai’s eyes every time he looked at him.

The last memory faded. He blinked rapidly, his hazy vision refocusing as his mind cleared. It could not have been more than a second or so that he’d been standing there, but it felt like it had been days. He looked down at Ruby, still secure in his arms, unable to hide his amazement.

This was a silver soul, huh?

“What’s your choice wretch?” Tyrian’s words brought him back to the matter at hand.

Qrow squared his shoulders, finding the weight that had been crushing him was now lighter than feathers. He looked back, just enough to catch the demon’s eye. “I have to thank you.”

He tilted his head, confused. “Oh? Whatever for?”

“Giving me an ultimatum like that?” He grinned. “It tells me I have nothing to lose.”

And then he stepped forward into the sanctuary.

Understanding came too late, Tyrian charging with a warning yell. His nails, as sharp as falcon talons, breached the barrier and were vaporized immediately. He jerked back with a shout, gripping his wrist and watching as the damage continued to spread down the rest of his nails. He looked up, aiming him with a truly wrathful look, “You’d best hope I don’t see you again wretch.” He grinned crazily. “Because if I do, I’ll be sure to take your hand as my trophy.”

Qrow just leveled him with an indifferent look. “Get lost lowlife.”

“Yeah!” Ruby joined in, sticking her tongue out at him.

Tyrian gave them both one last parting scoff before he scuttled away into the nearest portal.

In the wake of his departure, Qrow nearly fell to his knees as relief swept through him. They had made it! He glanced at his charge, briefly concerned she’d burst into more tears now that the danger was gone. It quickly vanished when instead she looked up at him and smiled.

He found himself easily returning it. “How about I walk you to that door now?”

She nodded and he set her down onto her feet. He held his hand out to her, which she took, and together they walked across the dirt lot and up the stairs, stopping in front of the entrance. He knelt down beside her. “Alright kiddo, this part is all you. You just gotta open the door and walk through.”

Ruby stared up at the knob apprehensively, then looked towards him. “It’s not gonna hurt, is it?”

He shook his head. “Not even a little bit. And I’ll be right here, just in case.”

“And - And I won’t be alone?” She rocked on her heels, bunching her hoodie up in her tiny hands.

At least this was an answer he knew with absolute certainty. “Not a chance. There’s loads of other kids where you’ll be.”

“But what if I can’t make any friends?”

“Ah come on kid, that’ll be impossible. ‘Cause I’m your friend.” He pointed to himself boisterously, as if that alone was the grandest of accomplishments. “And if you can make friends with me, then you can make friends with anyone.”

She seemed completely unimpressed. “Yeah but you’re old. I gotta make friends with people my age.”

“Call me that again pipsqueak.”

Ruby placed her hands on her hips, bending towards him and stretching out the word tauntingly, “Ooooold!”

Qrow couldn’t help but laugh, tapping her on the nose. “Very funny.”

She grinned proudly. As she straightened back up, she gave the door another thoughtful look, giving a firm nod. “’Kay, I’m ready.”

“You sure?” He questioned cautiously.

“Uh-huh. I was ready for everything else. I’ve been sick a long time. When I couldn’t get outta bed anymore, Mama would sit beside me and tell me that this is the good part. That Heaven’s a place where I can run and play again and nothing hurts anymore.” She placed her hand on the door. “I felt kind of bad because I wanted to leave so much. But Mama said it was okay, even if she was real sad. I think she just wanted me to stop hurting too. So now that I have, I gotta make the most of it.”

It should have been tragic, knowing this eight-year-old had been ready for death before her life really got started; but seeing how brave she was in the face of it all, Qrow just couldn’t look at it that way. She was the type of person who would grow to be the hero of her own story – and that was something to be admired.

He placed a hand on her head. “Keep that attitude and you’re gonna do just fine kid.” He gave her hair a good ruffle before backing off. “Alright, go ahead.”

She reached up, touching the doorknob and pulling it open. The light inside eddied out like an ocean wave on a hot day, inviting in its relief and compelling in its pull. Ruby looked to him one last time. “Thanks Mr. Qrow for helping me.”

In an instant, she was gone.

He got to his feet, placing a hand on the door. The warmth of the light fell across his arm, tugging insistently.

 _“Come home.”_ Raven requested. It was in that he knew it wasn’t actually her speaking. After all, if it really was Raven, she wouldn’t request anything of him. She’d demand it.

It was harder than he liked to admit to shut the door. “Not yet.” He murmured. He still had to find-

“QROW!”

He spun at the shout, seeing a lightning bolt zipping through the sky – the telltale look of an angel riding the light. The tension in him broke instantly. He was alright!

But just as suddenly, the flash was plummeting down. “Tai!!” Qrow’s heart jumped into his throat and he kicked off, rushing towards him. He just barely managed to catch him a few feet above ground, wings straining as they flapped rapidly to compensate the extra weight. The landing was still rough, his legs almost giving out from the jolting impact.

Tai was clinging onto him, head tucked against his shoulder, his breathing rough and rapid, “Sorry, sorry. I’m fine, I just-” His explanation was cut off as he groaned lowly, hands fisting into Qrow’s shirt.

“Just catch your breath, I got ya.” He said, sweeping his gaze over him, quickly finding the injury.

One of the Hellhounds must have gotten him, because the left leg of his pants had been torn away around the shin. Fang marks were visible where they had punctured through. Murky vapors wafted from the injury rather than blood and a deep blackness was slowly spreading along his skin like a bruise. All clear signs of darkness poisoning. Left unchecked, it would eventually immobilize an angel entirely and suck away all their light. The only remedy was returning to Heaven.

Tai lifted his head some, looking around frantically. “Wait! Ruby, where is she?”

“She got there safely, don’t worry.” He reassured.

“Good, good.” He relaxed against him again, hissing softly as another surge of pain hit him.

“Alright buddy, we need to get home. That wound’s looking pretty nasty.” Qrow shifted his grip, throwing Tai’s left arm over his shoulders so he could provide more support for his bad leg.

As they shambled forward with less coordination than a newborn duck, Tai still found it in him to ask, “We?”

His gaze stayed fixated on their feet. “Yeah.”

He’d seen it for so long now, he could already picture the smile he was wearing. Even after they reached the door and Qrow finally found it in him to look up, he found that despite all the pain Tai must have been in, it hadn’t faded, not even an inch.

Qrow reached out and opened the door. The light welcomed them home.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact: This was supposed to be an epilogue... not the longest chapter of the four.

Wind whistled in his ears as Qrow flew through a carnation pink sky. On the horizon, a large property stood. The main building of the childcare center was large and long, almost mansion-like with how many rooms were likely within. As he passed over the roof, he could see the acres of land that composed the backyard. There was a section of picnic tables, a playground, fields separated for different sports and, most amusingly, a corral for horses and a barn that stood at the very back. He headed for the soccer field where everyone seemed to be, angling his wings to land just inside the fence.

He was still getting used to wings made of feathers, so his landing was a bit messy, but no one noticed with a field full of excited kids of varying ages shouting and running across the grass. He spotted Ruby out there with them. The kids who had decided to sit out, along with all the caretakers, were on the sidelines. A few he recognized, like Weiss, who was wearing a cheerleader’s outfit but was doing more ordering than cheering. Oscar was sitting in the lap of another one of the caretakers, a man he hadn’t been introduced to who seemed to have an odd liking for green suits.

Tai’s daughter, Yang, seemed to be completely absorbed in the game as she pumped her fist into the air and yelled to one of the kids, “Come on Mercury, kick it! Like I showed you!”

Qrow watched the kid who had the ball rear his leg back, before punting it rather impressively across the field. The green-haired girl who was guarding the goal leapt for it, missing it by inches.

“Yeah thatta boy!” She cheered.

Weiss shook her pompoms wildly. “I told you guys to watch him!”

“Hey ice queen, you’re supposed to be cheering us on, not coaching!” One of the blond boys yelled.

“Shut up monkey boy!”

“Okay, okay, there’s no need for name calling.” Tai intervened. “Y’all line back up at the center and let’s go again!”

This was the chance to say something, but as Qrow geared himself up, he found his mind clouded with doubts.

Maybe this was a bad time.

Tai seemed busy.

He shouldn’t have come unannounced in the first place.

_Man up already!_ He berated himself. He couldn’t honestly be more terrified of starting a conversation than facing down a demon from Hell’s Court, right? Of course he wasn’t! That’d be stupid.

Qrow opened his mouth and nothing came out.

In all fairness, he was a pretty stupid guy.

He was also a rather noticeable guy, because it only took Ruby a moment to spot him as she turned to join the others. “Mr. Qrooow!” She yelled excitedly, rushing towards him. He caught a glimpse of Tai’s surprised expression, but wasn’t given much time to read into it before he was being barreled into by fifty pounds of child.

“Oof! Jeez kiddo, I think you bruised something.” He said, tousling her hair.

“Nuh-huh I’m too tiny.”

Over her giggles, Qrow faintly heard Oscar say, “Uncle Oz that’s the goat man!”

“Oh!” Ruby’s exclamation drew his attention again. She jumped back, spinning around. “Did you see my wings? Aren’t they great?”

He knelt down as if he was getting a better look. They were a lot like his, except the primary feathers had a red gradient. “Yeah kiddo they’re pretty amazing. Bet you’ll be one of the best fliers around.”

“Yeah I will! I’ma be super fast!” She told him. A shadow fell over them, making them both look up.

Qrow hadn’t realized he’d been missing that dumb smile until he saw it again.

“Howdy thar.” Tai greeted. “What brings you around these parts stranger?”

He snorted. “Oh nothing, just thought I’d check in. See how you guys were doing.”

“Oo, oo! I made lots of friends! And Nana makes the best cookies.” Ruby revealed. She cupped a hand around her mouth, divulging secretly, “If you’re real nice, she might give you one too.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

One of the kids yelled, “Ruby, come on! You’re holding up the game!”

“Okaaay!” She pat him on the cheek. “I gotta go kick butt now. Bye Mr. Qrow!”

Qrow watched her run back to the field, before his eyes drifted to Oscar. The little boy ducked a bit behind his uncle, but offered him a tentative wave. He smiled, waving back.

“They’re rather attached to you.” Tai observed.

He got to his feet, running a hand across the back of his head. “Not sure why.”

“Well, it’s not unusual exactly, but it usually happens between the guide and the soul. People ‘round here call it the Peter Pan effect ‘cause it’s so common.”

Qrow hummed thoughtfully as he eyed the other. Was that why he felt so compelled to find him? “That so? Guess I’m a regular ol’ Hook in that allegory then.”

“Nah, you’re more of a temperamental Tinkerbell.” Tai laughed over his indignant squawks, calling, “Hey I’m going to show Qrow around, do you guys got things here?”

“Yes, Tai dear, we can handle it. Have fun on your date.” His ex-wife called, looking just a little too devious.

And God forbid if Qrow didn’t jump on that one. “A date, huh? It’d better be up to my standards then.” He polished his fingernails against his chest like a posh rich man. “I’ll have you know I have rather elegant tastes.”

“Ugh. I’m not dignifying either of you with a response.” Tai grumbled, more for show than anything since he was clearly amused. “Come on, I’ll show you the barn first. And if you promise no jokes, I’ll even let you pet a horse.” He bounded over the fence, gesturing for him to follow.

“Afraid you’d have more luck getting a hog to fly than getting me to abide by your law, Sheriff.” He quipped as he landed beside him.

 “I see you’re still quite the charlatan.” He laughed as they walked along the painted lines of the baseball field. “How have you been? You getting along well up here?”

“Well, I’m disappointed there’s no cloud trampolines.” He said, stuffing his hands in his pockets, hoping it made him appear more casual then he felt. “But, everything’s just about as full of rainbows and bunnies as I expected.”

He didn’t know why he bothered, since Tai had always had a knack for seeing right through him. “It’s hard to get used to, huh?”

“I mean, it’s not terrible. It’s just weird. And I don’t really know what to do with myself most days.” He admitted.

“Most new souls spend their first few weeks just visiting family or exploring. Have you found Raven yet?”

“Yeah. First thing I did after we separated at the gates was go to Rae’s place. Heh, it was quite a shock for her.” Qrow wouldn’t reveal that her way of dealing with it was punching him in the face just to make sure he was real.

One of the things that had surprised him was discovering that his sister hadn’t been immediately aware he’d entered Heaven – or had even known that he’d died a few years back. Apparently, that was just how it worked. It gave the newcomers time to adjust and visit family and friends at their own pace. Which was probably a blessing, since most reunions were guaranteed to be emotional – that is, if all his bawling was anything to go by.

“Mostly just been with her, catching up. Hanging out. That sort of thing.” He explained.

Tai regarded him like he was an autostereogram and the image just wasn’t quite clear yet. “Just her?”

“For now.” He replied vaguely, wisely changing topics before he could pry more. “What about you? How’s that leg doing?”

“I’m completely crippled, can’t you tell?” He placed a hand against his forehead like he might faint. “My afterlife is over!”

He rolled his eyes at the other’s theatrics. “Don’t oversell it buddy.”

“And waste my chance to annoy you? Never.”

The conversation stayed fairly light from there and once he started inquiring about the kids, there was really no stopping the other’s chattering. He didn’t mind because Tai was rather nice to listen to when he was speaking so passionately and it also didn’t require him to reply as much. Mostly, it gave him a chance to get his head together; he’d come all this way for a reason after all. He just needed the right moment to ask. The only problem was…

“And over here is my favorite spot!”

…the more excited Tai seemed to get, the less Qrow wanted to broach what was weighing on him.

He quickened his step to keep up as the other darted around the corner of the building. “Tai I – oh. Wow.”

“Right?” The other angel replied stepping underneath the porch that hung over the left side of the house.

He strode up next to him, finding it was an excellent spot to gander at the beautiful garden spread out before them. Stepping stones made natural, winding paths framed by bushes of roses, lilacs, hydrangeas, and rhododendrons all leading to the same center – a crystal clear pond decorated with waterlilies and sweetgrass. As they strolled along one of the paths, he took notice of the small trees speckled about the orchard and, while he didn’t know the names of most of them, the Japanese Maples with their cherry-red leaves were unmistakable. He stepped off the path to head towards a nearby cluster.

He knew them because they were the very same kinds of trees that stood outside his mother’s hospital room. When it was too hard to watch her dying in bed, he’d sit at the window to look at them instead. When her health really started failing, he spent more time at that spot than at her bedside.

One day, she asked him what he was staring at.

“Nothing.” He’d muttered. “Just these dumb trees.”

“What makes them dumb?”

He gestured expressively. “They’re red! Who puts red trees outside a hospital?”

Her chuckle was weak, like everything else about her these days. “I suppose it does seem a little odd. Do you know what those are?”

“I dunno, blood trees?” He guessed, slumping more in his seat.

She clicked her tongue disapprovingly. “Now, now, don’t talk like that. It dishonors your ancestors. Especially when talking about those trees – they’re important to our heritage.” When he only grunted, she continued, “Now let me tell you something Q-”

“-Row? You fancy those ones?”

The memory faded to static.

Qrow looked from the grove to the man who had trailed him.

Tai tilted his head up, giving them a good gander. “They’re gorgeous, right?”

“Yeah,” He agreed slowly, walking the last few steps it took to stand in front of one. “Do you know what they are?”

He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “A maple of some kind, right?”

“Yeah. A Japanese Maple.” He rubbed one of the star-shaped leaves between his thumb and forefinger. “My mother told me a story about them once.”

“Oh? What about?”

“Well, there was this war that crippled Japan. Shortly after it, these trees were discovered. The Imperial Family immediately had their staff plant thousands of them across their royal capital, but no one knew the reason.” He started off hesitantly, but when Tai’s expression didn’t fall to disinterest, he continued more earnestly. “Rumors started going ‘round that the Family’s intention was to make these trees a symbol of royalty. The Emperor heard of this but did not speak of it until an entire year had passed. When it came time to address his people, he chastised them, saying that only the foolish would dare claim nature as his own. He then challenged his people to look at the trees and speak if they could answer this:” Qrow gestured grandly like he imagined the Emperor must have. “’For every day these trees had their leaves, on what day were they not red?’”

Completely engrossed by the tale, Tai’s tone had a hint of wonder as he asked, “What happened?”

“No one spoke. They all knew that day did not exist.” He answered. “In their silence, the Emperor’s voice seemed even more powerful than usual. He told them that all other trees were weak, because they could only hold that color for a few weeks before they fell. But these trees held enough strength to endure that color every day of the year – and if the Gods had bestowed such a tree to grow in their nation, then it was a sign that even during such trying times, every citizen born upon their great land had the ability to show that same level of endurance and strength.”

“Whoa.” Tai looked back at the trees, seeming to see them in a new light. “That’s amazing.”

“It’s one of my favorite stories.” Qrow told him, looking up as well into kaleidoscope of red hues, some bright as gemstones and some light as rust. Others dark as wine or pale like his eyes.

He could hear his mother’s voice whispering across his memory: _“Anyone who looks at you will see in the color of your eyes that you hold the same endurance and strength in yourself. Just like I always have.”_

He shut his eyes and took a steadying breath. Right. He could do this. “Tai, I needed to ask you something.”

“What is it?”

He felt his chest constrict uncomfortably as he faced him. “How different am I from the man you first met?”

Tai rose an eyebrow, looking befuddled. “Well. You’re less pointy.”

“No, not that! Before I got dragged into Hell.” Qrow said, feeling himself grow more insistent.

“Oh my god.” His eyes widened as realization hit. “You remember.”

“Yeah?” Qrow replied. What did that have to do with anything? “I remembered before going through the light. But that’s not-”

He was cut off when the other reached out, gripping his arms tightly. “I’m so sorry!”

“Uh, what?”

Tai either didn’t notice his confusion or was too caught up to realize it, words coming out in a rush, “I know there’s nothing I can really say to make up for losing you like that, but I really am sorry! And I understand if you’re too angry to accept that but-”

“Whoa, okay! Hold up a second!” Qrow covered his mouth before he could keep spilling out his guts. “I’m not mad about that!”

“Yo-You’re not?”

He supposed it wasn’t that farfetched to believe – but his life experience had taught him a long time ago that taking his anger out on others didn’t really fix anything. It just spread the hurt more. “Tai, four of them jumped you. What were you going to do?”

Tai backed off, jaw set so hard he worried his teeth would shatter. “That doesn’t matter. I let you down. My job was to get you home and I failed you.”

He looked to the left. Then to the right. Spread his arms wide. “Huh, looks like home to me.”

“That’s not-”

“Come on man, do you think I didn’t put two and two together? Why you kept conveniently showing up every time I got close to a lost soul? You were practically stalking me. Not that I can blame you, I mean have you seen me? I’m irresistible.” Qrow waved to himself, pleased when that finally got a weak laugh out of the other. He lowered his hand, meeting his eyes as he told him seriously, “You didn’t give up on me, even when I was acting my worst, and for that I owe you more than I can possibly give back.”

Tai’s smile was tentative. “Then you’re not giving yourself enough credit. You made all the big steps all on your own.”

The argument was on the tip of his tongue, about how he’d never have taken even one had the other angel not stepped in to begin with, but ultimately decided to let it go. They’d just run in circles at that point. “Whatever happened to that whole ‘forgive yourself and move on’ motto of yours?”

“I also told you that isn’t easy.” He reminded.

Qrow huffed. “Tch, yeah I got that.”

“Is _that_ what’s bothering you?”

“Yes!” He shouted, wings opening as explosively as his mouth. To Tai’s credit, he didn’t even flinch back, even as he practically yelled in his face. “I thought if I came up here, things would be different! That I would be different! But nothing’s changed! I don’t get it! I’ve been punished. Put to death. Atoned! But I still feel _wrong_.” He turned away, folding his wings and crossing his arms as he glared at the roots of the maple tree. “I hate this… but I just don’t know what else I can do.”

A hand on his shoulder made him look up. Tai gave him a quietly considerate look and when he spoke, his voice was gentle. “Our situations aren’t the same, so I don’t know if my story will do any good, but I’d be happy to tell it to you if you feel it might.”

“…Alright.” It probably wouldn’t. But after three decades, he was willing to try anything.

He was also, maybe, a little curious.

“Follow me.” Tai led him to the center of the garden, sitting down on one of the flat rocks that circled the water.

He settled down on the one beside him, certain he knew what to expect as Tai plucked one of his feathers. However, he did not raise it to the light like before. Instead, he gripped the feather by the barb and touched the quill tip to the water, making slow, swirling motions. As the rings rippled across the lake, he spoke, accent growing more prominent as if the nostalgia brought it forth, “The town I grew up in wasn’t much. We had a chapel for prayin’. A saloon for drinkin’. Most people made their own living by rearing their own cattle and growing their own stock.”

Qrow watched as an image formed with the words, seeing the dusty town Tai was speaking of. There weren’t a lot of buildings, and what was there was mostly log cabin homes with a few farms off in the distances. Despite that, there was a lot of activity on the street. A horse was pulling a wagon through town. Two men were sitting outside the saloon, cheering each other. A few women were using washboards to clean clothes. It wasn’t until he spotted the chapel with it’s cross mounted properly instead of fallen to the side as it was now, that he knew he’d been here before. “This is where we took Oscar.”

He nodded. “Yeah, this be it. This was my home.” He pointed to one of the farm houses on the eastern side.

As if the gesture were a command, the picture zoomed in on it. Tai, probably no more than seven or eight, was hanging onto the railing, swinging his legs as he stared at the little girl who looked almost identical to Ruby. She was clinging to her mother’s raggedy dress, but she was staring at Tai just as intently. The men of the two families stood between their own, talking.

“I met Summer when I was just a boy. Her family had traveled far in hopes to find silver but the mines had been bled dry years ago. Her family was devastated and too weakened by their travel to go further. The townspeople pointed them our way. My father had always been a kind man, believing in helpin’ those in need, so he struck a deal. He asked for the family’s workin’ hands and in return he’d give them room and board. On this arrangement, our families prospered.”

The scenes started to shift, showing snapshot after snapshot of memory. The two kids laughing as they tried to balance eggs on their noses from the chicken coop. Leaping into the lake together. Racing each other through the field.

“It wasn’t long before Summer and I were the best of friends. We were also quite the rascals.” Tai chuckled as it showed the two of them in the saloon. His younger self, about ten now, betting on a poker game with ears of corn, much to the adults’ amusement. Summer sitting at the barstool, a dancer doing her hair up in a rose bun. “Soon, that all changed to sumthin more. I still remember the day I realized I was in love with her.”

Now a teenager, Tai stood outside saddling up a horse, when a noise caused him to turn around. His eyes grew wide as Summer came gliding over, the train of her dress following her. The shoulderless French-style gown was gorgeous, black as night with white roses festooned into the pleats. She had white gloves to match and a ribbon tied into a bow around her neck. She did a little spin, seeming to ask if he liked it. Tai stepped forward, taking off his hat and placing it against his chest. Whatever he told her made her laugh behind her hand.

“I was very smitten.” Tai’s gaze was distant. “It didn’t take our fathers long to realize what was happening. We were soon given their blessin’ and wed immediately after. Love was so rarely sought in those times, but I knew no woman could have made me happier than she did. That truth was no truer than the day she made me a father.”

Qrow snorted when the new image formed of the man holding his newborn daughter.

“What?” Tai asked him.

“You look terrible in a beard.” He told him.

“Oh can it!” He shoved him a bit before continuing his story. “Yang ended up being our only child. We tried for others, but it was hard to keep a child to term. I never felt like we were incomplete though. And even when nature took its course for our parents, and left only us three to maintain the farm, we were able to get by.” The trio were inside their home. Yang looked to be in her adolescence. She sat beside Tai, watching him intently as he showed her how to tie a hunter’s knot. Summer was in the kitchen, stirring something in a large pot. “But…”

Suddenly Summer started to cough, falling to her knees. Tai looked up, before hurrying to her side.

“Then we lost her. It happened so quickly, I felt like I’d hardly said goodbye before I was burying her.”

It was a little row of crosses made of sticks, nothing more. Five of them in all. Tai sat before the newest dug one, just staring like he couldn’t see anymore. Yang was crying.

Tai looked down at his past self, sighing softly. “I never thought myself a weak man before, but I feel losing her proved to me I didn’t have the fortitude I thought I did. I loved Summer very deeply, and when she left, it was like taking all that love and leaving nothing but an empty well.”  He lowered his head more, his chin almost touching his chest. “I can’t even say what I had in my mind the day I did it. Everything was just hurtin’ so much and I wanted it to stop. So. I made it stop.”

Qrow inhaled sharply as the picture formed of the blond man sitting alone in his house, staring blankly down at his revolver before he slowly rose it to his temple. Before the scene could finish, Tai smacked the water and it disappeared.

He let himself breathe again, glancing over at him.

Tai took a moment to gather himself, before finally facing him. “When you walked towards the light, you heard a voice. Whose was it?”

Taken a bit aback by the sudden shift of topics, it took him a moment to reply. “Uh, Raven’s.”

He nodded, as if this made perfect sense. “It’s the voice of the person you most want to see. You would think mine would be Summer’s…” His look was pained. “But I heard Yang’s. In that instant I knew what a mistake I had made – and the worst part was, I couldn’t take it back!” He chuckled bitterly. “Summer was furious. She wanted nothing to do with me. And who could blame her? I had left our daughter behind. No father should ever do that.”

Qrow felt the oddest sense of Déjà Vu as he struggled to find a way to dissolve the heavy atmosphere. Wasn’t the last time he had to do this by waterside as well? “Well, things seemed to be alright now?” He finally offered lamely.

“Yes, but it wasn’t always.” Tai ran a hand over his face, sighing loudly. “I felt like I lived with nothing but constant guilt. I agonized over what I had done and I even started to view my and Summer’s separation as just a punishment I deserved. And an angel in turmoil isn’t allowed on the human plane either, so I couldn’t even have the consolation of checking up on how Yang was doing!”

He swallowed uneasily. This was starting to sound a bit too familiar.

“I found no solace in it all until Yang finally passed on and visited me.” He went on. “I didn’t know what to say when I suddenly had her there, on my doorstep. I was ready for her to be angry. A part of me even wanted her to be. But before I could even utter her name, she was throwing her arms around me and telling me how much she missed me.” He looked down at his hands, probably recalling how he’d held her that day. “Heh, can you imagine that? I was prepared for her to throw anything at me… except that.”

Qrow bit at the edge of his tongue, wishing it could be that easy for him. “So that was it? You just felt better?”

“No, not even.” He shook his head. “I still felt all that shame just festering inside of me and it bled into everything I tried to do. Every time we were together, I felt nothing but wrongness. I thought I shouldn’t be allowed to be her father, because I’d choose to leave her. That I didn’t deserve much at all, if I’d forfeited my life. Some days I couldn’t even bare to see her. Can’t tell you how many times I canceled plans just ‘cause I was so miserable.”

Qrow turned away uncomfortably, thinking of his own mother he still refused to go visit. Of his sister’s many failed attempted to push the issue and her annoyance with him when he only resisted more.

Tai seemed too caught up to notice his shift in demeanor, raking an agitated hand through his hair, the memories seeming to being back his previous frustration. “It was no better with Summer. Even when we agreed we wouldn’t get back together, at times it seemed even just trying to be friends again was impossible. I had to of apologized about a thousand times. But,” He placed his hand over his heart, carrying on more lightly, “if I can be proud of anything, I can be proud of what a smart, capable woman my daughter had grown up to be. For she was the one who told me that I could ask for forgiveness from everyone all I wanted, but I would never gain peace if I didn’t forgive myself.” He met his gaze then, his eyes earnest as he told him, “It didn’t come quickly or easily. I’d had that way of thinking for so long, it was hard to let go of – sometimes I was even afraid I never could. But I kept trying, at first for her, so she could have the father she deserved. But eventually, it was for myself too.”

“How long did it take?” Qrow asked.

“Until the day I became a guiding angel.”

He calculated that quickly. Placed a hand against his forehead. “Shit.”

He saw the other’s reaching hand in his peripheral vision, but didn’t jerk back from the gentle touch that ran over his cheek.

“Qrow,” Tai’s soft voice sent shivers along his spine for more reasons than one. “I may not be able to tell you how long it will take for yourself, but I can tell you that you have the strength to do it.”

He faced him, retorting, “How can you say that when you don’t even know what I’ve done?”

“Because I’ve always believed in you.” He said, simple as that. He withdrew, adding, “But if you’d like to tell me, I’ll listen. It helps more than you think.”

Qrow looked down at the water, tossing the idea around. He’d avoided it this long, dancing around the topics he felt might give Tai too much reason to pry. But if he was right, and this could be a step to heal, then what did he really have to lose by trying?

_This whatever it is going on between us._ His traitorous conscious reminded.

His counterargument was worse. _Well, then it’s better if he finds out now._

(As that thought finished, he realized maybe that whole ‘bleeds into everything’ bit had a lot of merit.)

He felt Tai’s eyes on him as he straightened up, reaching back to pull one of his own feathers. He lowered it, stirring the water with it as he begun, “When I was fourteen, my mom was diagnosed with terminal cancer. It took her pretty fast.” He felt a pang in his heart, seeing his younger self clinging onto his sister as they sat in the darkened hallway of the church. He remembered that – it had been just after his mom’s funeral service, paid for with what little savings she had. “We were fairly poor and any family we did have didn’t bother to reach out and claim us. So, the foster care program took us. Tried to find a home for us. We certainly didn’t make it easy; we’d been so angry and scared that we just couldn’t ‘behave’. I can’t tell you how many homes and schools I saw those first few months. No one wanted to take in a couple of kids who were more trouble then we were worth.”

The scene shifted to one that made his blood boil. He was sitting outside the caregiver’s office, his eyes widening as he overheard what she was saying before he was sprinting down the hall. “They eventually started talking about separating us. It had terrified us… and so we did something really stupid.” Raven was pulling open the window, and as she climbed up onto the sill, Qrow handed her a backpack. He had one of his own on his shoulders. “We ran.”

He smiled at the next one, seeing himself pulling a blanket up over himself and his sister. “We spent that first night sleeping under a park bench. We had all these grand ideas about how we’d make it on our own. We didn’t even have our high school degrees or a dime to our name, but back then we thought we’d just take on the world and it’d be fine.”

His smile fell, watching the same snapshot effect that happened with Tai’s story happen with his own as he spoke, “It wasn’t long before we got desperate. We started stealing out of grocery stores. Eating fruit right in the store or opening up boxes with prepackaged foods so the sensors wouldn’t trip. Sneaking into gyms to shower. Walking out of Goodwill wearing new clothes underneath our old ones. Eventually, the store managers started to recognize us. A few of ‘em even called the cops. We almost got caught a bunch of times. Sometimes, I kind of wish we had.”

“You two were rather resourceful.” Tai side-eyed him a moment, before focusing back on the water where he and his sister were hiding in the shadows of a fire escape as an officer went running down the alley below.

“In some ways.” Qrow agreed. “But we were in trouble. We couldn’t live like that forever. We knew we needed some sort of solid plan for the future. Some way to get money. That’s how we met Junior.” The picture of the man that formed was as clear in the water as it was in his mind. He still recalled his first thought about him was that he was way too well-dressed to be on their side of town. “He ran an underground gang. They supplied drugs, did petty theft, stuff like that. We knew it was crazy and really, _really_ stupid, but we asked to join. We’d basically been doing something similar so, we figured it wouldn’t be much different.”

He swallowed down his own disgust, seeing the terrified woman staring down the barrel of his shotgun while Raven loaded cash in a bag.  “We mostly did the robberies – smoke shops, liquor stores, you name it. If it was a cheap shop that held too much cash in the register, we were hitting it. Junior tried to get us to sell drugs. Among,” His teeth nearly cracked as he saw one of the promiscuous leers their boss would give his sister, “ _other_ things. But the reason we liked holding places up was because it was the easiest way to sneak the money right under Junior’s nose. We would pocket a few twenties here, an occasional hundred there. He didn’t miss it because he never knew it existed. We kept telling each other we’d only stay until we had enough to get a place of our own, then we were out of there. But…”

The picture was ahead of his mouth. He felt shivers running down his spine at the sight of the red-head he and Raven were being cornered by. He’d never thought much about Adam Taurus until he was facing down the wrong end of the other’s Glock. “Junior had found out and sent someone to dispose of us. We… We tried to pay the guy off. All the money we had earned, we used it to bargain for our lives.” It shifted to their little closet-sized bedroom, Qrow pulling out the lockbox they had hidden in the wall. Beside it, was a pistol. “At least, we were pretending to. Raven was talking to him, trying to keep the focus on her so I could shoot him.”

He shut his eyes, unable to face what he knew was going to play out. He’d seen it enough in his nightmares. The way he’d pulled out the gun, aiming it at their captor.

“Just let us go!” He had said, his hands shaking.

“What are you doing? Shoot him!” Raven hissed.

“No one has to die, he just has to leave!” He told her, wishing she’d shut up. He could talk their way out of this, just like he did everything else.

Adam sighed loudly. “I don’t have time for this.”

“Qrow-!” Raven yelled as she spun on her heels towards him.

The report of the gunshot deafened him. His mind and vision went fuzzy. Dimly he wondered why his sister was falling to the ground, limbs akimbo like a broken doll. His arms jerked down, hands reflexively tightening as he cried out her name. The sound of his own gun going off was distant in his ears. The bullet buried its way into the hitman’s gut, throwing him to the ground. Adam’s second round, the one that likely would have killed Qrow, went wild into the ceiling, raining down dust.

“God…” Tai’s horrified gasp drew him back to the present.

His eyes opened and he looked down at the image of himself holding onto his sister’s limp body as he sobbed into her bloody hair. Qrow reached out towards himself, hand shaking as badly as it did back then, and smacked the water, watching it scatter away into nothing. “I-I guess you can see I failed pretty spectacularly. But I did something worse.” He couldn’t raise his head, so he just watched the goldfish swim as he told the rest of it. “Raven was the last thing I had and she was gone. Junior had taken her from me. I didn’t know what to do. The only thing I did know was that I was so, so **_angry_**.” His fingers tightened into fists. “I wanted to kill that motherfucker for what he did – I didn’t care what it took! So, I used the money to pay off one of his bodyguards. They looked away just long enough and I shot him right in the back of his head. The cops caught me a few days later. I was eighteen by then, so they tried me like an adult.”

He laughed hollowly. “Pre-meditated murder. First degree. Twenty-five years and then a final walk to Death Row. Didn’t even bother to plead anything but guilty. I walked out of that court room howling like it was the funniest thing, because by then I’d realized, it didn’t matter. Nothing did anymore.” He bit at his lip, feeling his stomach twisting into painful knots. “I had thought I’d feel vindicated. But I just felt empty. Killing Junior didn’t bring back Raven. It didn’t make me feel any less responsible. I was a murderer, and for what?!” He pressed his fist against his forehead, gritting out, “How can I ever make something like that right?”

He heard a soft rustling beside him and then a golden wing curved around him, just as it had on the lakeside. “You don’t.” Tai proclaimed. “You accept that you did something wrong and then you work at it from there.”

“How?!”

“I don’t know.” He admitted, sliding in closer. “But, I can say this was a good first step.”

With everything all mixed up in his mind right then, Qrow didn’t know how to feel about the fact the other didn’t seem the slightest bit repulsed. With it so cluttered, he also didn’t seem to have the power to resist leaning into the other’s comfort for a little while.

* * *

Qrow stirred at the distant sound of chatter and shrieking, blinking away his drowsiness as he stared up at the emerald sky. Wait, when had it become the afternoon?

A groan made him look at the person next to him, seeing how Tai’s expression pinched before he peeked open one eye. “Guess it’s lunchtime.”

He stared at him, then looked about, disoriented. They were still by the pond, but sprawled out along the grass beside it. He didn’t recall moving though. He didn’t recall much at all after he’d finished his story. “Uh… what happened?”

“Sorry.” Tai said around a yawn. “I shoulda warned ya showing me anything would zap your energy something fierce.”

He absorbed that fact, feeling a slight sting as he wondered how long it took Tai to return home that day from Hecate’s Lake. “So, we slept on the ground?”

“Sorta.” He drawled, looking down pointedly.

Qrow followed his gaze, then sat up quickly as he realized his body was pinning down the other’s wing. He was going to be feeling that for the day. “Uh, sorry.”

Tai just shrugged it off, sitting up as well. He stretched out his wings before folding them against his back. “I woulda got you inside but, you were fading pretty fast and you’re a mite bit heavier than I can carry.”

“What a shame. Guess you won’t be sweeping me off my feet anytime soon then. What ever shall I do?” He said, playing up his distress.

“And you say I oversell it.” He replied as he got to his feet.

Qrow took the hand offered to him. He stretched as well, inclining his head towards the source of the noise. It was drawing nearer. “I should probably get going.”

“Or you could stay.”

He arched a brow questioningly.

Tai grinned, running a hand over his neck as he tried to hide his fluster. “I mean, there’s always room for more. And I’m sure Ruby and Oscar would be ecstatic.”

It was _really_ hard to say no. “I have… a prior engagement. Promised my sis I’d be back by now.” It was even harder to see the other droop with disappointment, so he quickly added, “But, another time?”

“Alright, but I’m holding ya to that.” He told him, nodding towards the front yard. “I’ll walk you to the gate.”

They took the long way around the garden to get there, but it still felt too quick by the time they were stepping past the iron-wrought doors. They hesitated just outside of them.

Tai shifted a bit on his feet, speaking first, “It was nice seeing you again.”

About half a dozen cocky responses leapt into his brain at once. What ended up slipping out was much more genuine, “Yeah. Same here.” Feeling his face heating up, Qrow quickly turned away, clearing his throat. “And uh, thanks. For everything.”

“Hmmm.”

That wasn’t the response he expected. “What?”

“Oh, it’s nothing.” He said, rubbing his chin. “I’m just trying to figure out the score. I mean, I still owe you a thanks for helping me on the last mission.”

His meaning took a moment to click, but when he got it, Qrow chuckled. “Oh, is that all? I have a solution for that.” He stepped forward, wrapping his arms around the other’s neck. “We’ll share it.”

“Oh.” The other angel murmured as understanding sunk in. His strong hands curved around Qrow’s bony hips. “I can do that.”

A giddy feeling jump-started his heart, so unexpectedly good after so much bad, it couldn’t help but bubble out in another soft laugh. Qrow lent forward.

Tai met him halfway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And this is... mostly it! Except for a drabble that will be coming a bit later. This was a fun excuse to do a few things I'd been dying to for awhile now including: cowboy Taiyang, Tai and/or Qrow running a childcare center, Tai using a bo staff. And, of course, the boys having wings.
> 
> Hopefully it was enjoyable - I sure did have fun writing it at least. If you feel like giving me some feedback, I'd love to hear what you thought!


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